Effects of Soybean .BETA.-Conglycinin on Body Fat Ratio and Serum Lipid Levels in Healthy Volunteers of Female University Students

The changes in body fat ratio and serum lipids induced by the ingestion of beta-conglycinin were examined in 41 healthy female university student volunteers. The trend of change in body fat ratio following the ingestion of beta-conglycinin differed between students with a baseline body fat ratio over 25% and those less than 25%. In the former group, the ingestion of beta-conglycinin suppressed the increase in body fat ratio. Moreover the six subjects who had a high total cholesterol level (5.72 mmol/L or higher) tended to have reduced levels of serum triglyceride, free fatty acid, total cholesterol and lipoprotein (a) after the ingestion of beta-conglycinin, although those levels did not change significantly. The number of subjects was only six, therefore it was inferred that significant changes were not observed. Thus, ingestion of soybean beta-conglycinin suppressed the increase in body fat ratio in individuals with a high baseline body fat ratio and reduced relatively high serum levels of lipids. Those results suggest that if soybean beta-conglycinin is ingested continuously (5 g daily), it will be effective in keeping body fat ratio and serum lipid levels normal and eliminating excessive lipids from the body.